What to do if we get there early?

HuDannie · Post by **HuDannie** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 7:50 pm

What can we do if we get there before the gates opens? Can we wait in line at the front gate or is there a spot for Burners go to?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:09 pm

sort of depends on how early.......

there is usually a line waiting for midnight, starting several hours before.

Post by **Sham** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:24 pm

If you can get an early entry pass to set up a theme camp, you can actually arrive a few days early. If you get this pass, be prepared to actually work and do something constructive, not just fart around and sightsee.

If you don't have an early entry pass to get in, but line up at the gate, you will be detoured into a holding parking lot and most likely spend several hours waiting and watching everyone else going in before you. If you want to enter when the gates open, I would suggest that you stay in Gerlach until midnight and then drive in.

If this is your first time going, you may want to wait until Monday during the day to enter. At least you will be able to find a camp.

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:25 pm

If you get there more than a couple hours early, you will be turned away. And you can get ticketed for parking along 447, so going back to Fernley is about the best option. Plan accordingly.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 6:34 am

Until about '07 or '08, the big secret was that all the hype about no early entry without a special pass was just smoke, I always found that you could go right in as early as Saturday before the event... I'm only mentioning this in case you hear the same from any veteran burner... however, since then, THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE! They actually hold the gates until 12:00 am Monday morning.

So yep, if you're ahead of schedule just stop in a town prior to the playa. I'd recommend Cedarville if you're coming from north, or wherever other folks say if coming from any other direction, and plan your approach to the playa so that you don't arrive early.

teardropper · Post by **teardropper** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:40 am

You don't say where you are coming from. Definitely Cedarville, if from the north. Open all night, full of burners. I stop there to fuel and wait to make the last 90 mile dash to the playa. But after 12:01 Monday, gates are open. Don't get there early, just adds to the traffic jam.

Jmeier · Post by **Jmeier** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:42 pm

I waited in the holding area in '08 and that's where the party really begins.. You have people DJing on top of their buses, plenty of high people, booze, etc.

I would really like to do it again, but I'm part of early crew now that gets to watch all you people go through "In-odus"

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 6:36 pm

Being sent to the holding lot is punishment for arriving early without credentials. You're not allowed to ENJOY it!!

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:45 pm

Jmeier wrote:I waited in the holding area in '08 and that's where the party really begins.. You have people DJing on top of their buses, plenty of high people, booze, etc.

I would really like to do it again, but I'm part of early crew now that gets to watch all you people go through "In-odus"

... and for the drivers, DO NOT begin drinking until you're inside the event and parked. Yes, law enforcement can ticket for DUI between the Gate and the city.

Lord Of Ruin · Post by **Lord Of Ruin** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:20 am

AntiM wrote:
Jmeier wrote:I waited in the holding area in '08 and that's where the party really begins.. You have people DJing on top of their buses, plenty of high people, booze, etc.

I would really like to do it again, but I'm part of early crew now that gets to watch all you people go through "In-odus"
... and for the drivers, DO NOT begin drinking until you're inside the event and parked. Yes, law enforcement can ticket for DUI between the Gate and the city.

A couple of points:

Anti-M is very right. Last year it appeared that LE was actively waiting on Gate road to Greeters and watching for anyone drinking or other visible signs of partying. It was an active enforcement effort, as opposed to just sitting there and grabbing the really obvious folks. BE warned.

Second, do NOT come early for the "party in the lot." We at Gate are always tinkering with how best to get people into the event in an efficient and safe manner. We're also mindful of people who tried to get there on time vs. people to got there way early and made themselves part of the problem on purpose.

A reminder, the goal is to get there at 12:00 midnight. We understand that a little under that happens just by virtue of traffic. But if you show up more than an hour early, you most likely won't be very happy with your eventual arrival time this year.

The process has been tweaked to fix some issues from last year, particular in trying to make it fair for people that do arrive on time.

Mod note - Stop turning off the code at the bottom, quotes dont work when disabled. ill let it slide this time, but will charge you 1 PBR for each time after.

brigitami · Post by **brigitami** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:52 am

waiting in the line sucks....its so frustrating because its RIGHT THERE and you can't go in yet.

we (busload of 13) got there super early last year but it was mostly because our driver got really excited and just kept driving so we didn't really stop.

we were shooting for the midnight open but all of a sudden we were there and it was sunday afternoon, at like noon! They gave us the whole, "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" bit and we went back to gerlach, where, correct me if i'm wrong, the chief of police had opened up his own private field for all of us to park! They were selling food and beer and burning man last minute supplies like goggles & sunblock (no tutus though....we asked. The man said he didn't know what a tutu was so I'm going to bring one just for him next year)

After sundown we lined up at the gate and didn't get in until 4? 4:00am? There was A LOT of waiting at the gate

britzbitz · Post by **britzbitz** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:31 am

Captain Goddammit wrote:Being sent to the holding lot is punishment for arriving early without credentials. You're not allowed to ENJOY it!!

Aahahaha. It's the same for any festival, I think. People will party while they're waiting.

We just moved to using a holding lot at the festival I work for last year. Prior to that people were setting up decks (and generally flailing) on the side of the highway at the bottom of the driveway to our property. :S Silly partiers.

Glad we pulled it onto the property last year though. I think within about an hour of parking some people, a kid did a backflip off the back of his pickup and broke both his arms...

Excitement makes people crazy. The goodies probably have something to do with that too, though...

britzbitz · Post by **britzbitz** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:34 am

brigitami wrote:we went back to gerlach, where, correct me if i'm wrong, the chief of police had opened up his own private field for all of us to park! They were selling food and beer and burning man last minute supplies like goggles & sunblock (no tutus though....we asked. The man said he didn't know what a tutu was so I'm going to bring one just for him next year)

Wow, that is awesome.

klondike_bar · Post by **klondike_bar** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:35 pm

you have 2 options.

you can either keep trucking into california and check out/camp at lake tahoe (absolutely beautiful area),

or you can sit outside the gate twiddling your thumbs till midnight.